A 60-year-old Marietta man entered a guilty plea to nine counts of aggravated assault on police officers, three counts of aggravated assault on civilians, and one count of possession of firearm during commission of a felony after firing on police officers and on the homes of neighbors.
Cobb County Superior Court Judge Ann B. Harris sentenced Donald Terry Welborn to 35 years with 18 of those to be served in prison.
A public information release from the office of District Attorney Flynn D. Broady, Jr, described the incident leading to the sentence as follows.
On September 22, 2020, Cobb County Police officers responded to a call of shots fired on Kingsley Drive in Cobb County, GA. On scene, officers spoke with Welborn’s wife and daughter, who stated that Welborn was intoxicated and shot at the ceiling and ceiling fan. The wife and daughter were able to escape the home unharmed. Officers attempted to speak with Welborn by cell phone, attempting to coax him out of the house. Welborn threatened to start shooting at the officers if he was not left alone. Welborn then began to shoot at officers with multiple firearms over a short period of time. Officers had to duck behind vehicles as projectiles whizzed by their heads, striking treetops, the asphalt roadway, and houses. The CCPD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team took over the scene, and after a several hours long standoff, Welborn surrendered and was taken into custody.
During an on-scene investigation, detectives determined that multiple bullets had entered two occupied neighboring houses through their walls. One family of two parents and two children hid in a closet, terrified, for hours during the standoff. One bullet from a high-powered rifle struck their aquarium located in their living room, killing the fish and flooding the area. In total, detectives located 68 spent shell casings of various calibers, 32 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Assistant District Attorney Bert Cohen prosecuted the case.
Marietta attorney Joel Pugh represented Welborn during the plea.